System of way-billing baggage.



ATENTBD Nov. '15, 1904.

C. B. JOHNSTON. SXSTEM 0F WAY BILLING BAGGAGE.

APPLICATION FILED KAY 13 :SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No MODEL.

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PATBNTED NOV. 15, 1904.

' C. B.*JOHNSTON.

SYSTEM 0F WAY BILLING BAGGAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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ma; @W15 UNITED STATES Patented November 15, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

SYSTEM OF WAY-BILLING BAGGAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,884, dated November 15, 1904. Application filed May 13, 1904.. Serial No. 207,823. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE B. JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of 'the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful System of Way-Billing Baggage, of which the following is a specification.

The system of way-billing baggage now commonly practiced by transportation companies is as follows: The station-baggageman makes out a way-bill in duplicate of all baggage delivered by him to the train-baggageman, one copy of which is signed by the trainbaggageman and forwarded to the general baggage agent and the other copy is delivered to the train-baggageman. For every station at which the train-baggageman delivers baggage he makes out a way-bill of all such baggage,

and this way-bill is supposed to be signed by the station-baggageman (if time permits) and then forwarded to the general baggage agent. Each train-baggageman is also required to make out a way-bill in duplicate for every train-baggageman to whom he delivers baggage` one copy of said way-bill being signed by the receiving train-baggageman and the other copy being delivered to said receiving train-baggageman. All of the baggagemen are required to make manifests and daily reports of all baggage handled by them. In addition to the way-bills the various station-baggagemen are required to make memoranda and reports concerning charges of various kinds and other matter. In consequence of the present system the number of way-bills upon which each piece of baggage is entered is twice as large as the number of baggage` men through whose hands it is transmitted until it reaches its destination, and in many cases there are a large number of additional reports concerning said baggage, and, as the check-number and description of baggage are written in on each way-bill and report, mistakes and erasures are so frequent as to very seriously impair the value ofthe record. So,

too, instead of each piece of baggage having a separate record the record of all of the baggage handled on a train is mixed up in a large mass of papers.

The principal objects of the present invention are to simplify the clerical work of the baggagemen, to reduce the chance of making mistakes, to shorten, systemize, and perfect the record of the baggage, and to facilitate the tracing of the baggage.

My invention consists in the system and devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a front View of a blank or form conforming to my invention and comprising an agents stub, an owners check, a strap-check, and a way-bill. Fig. 2 is a front View of a similar blank comprising also a charge-check. Fig. 3 is a back View of the form shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a view ofthe register of way-bills.

My blank or form consists of a long strip divided into four or more sections separated from each other by lines of perforations.

At one end of the form is a binding-strip 1., whereby the form may be bound along with a lot of duplicates thereof in book form. The section 2 next to the binding-strip constitutes -the agents stub and has appropriately-designated spaces thereon for indicating the date of issue of the way-bill, (including its special number, if any,) the number ofthe train upon which the baggage is sent, the name of the train-baggageman, the station of origin, and the station of destination of the baggage, together with such other information as may be appropriate for the agents stub. The agents stub also has printed thereon the name of the company issuing it and appropriate matter to designate the character of the way-bill and checks attached thereto. Said agents stub also has a designating or identification number, which number is printed upon each of the sections of the form. The second section 3, which is intended for delivery to the owner of the baggage, contains the name of thev railroador transportation-line and words indicating the classification of the baggage, such as local or through or the like, and containing also properly-designated spaces for inserting the stations of origin and destination of the baggage, together with the identification-number common to all sections of the IOO form. The third section 4, which is intended to be inserted in a check or label holder, and thereby fastened to the baggage with a strap, contains substantially the same matter and spaces as the owners check. The strap-check, however, has a slot 5 formed therein of suitable size for the strap to pass through. The outermost section 6, which constitutes the way-bill, comprises appropriately-designated spaces for its date of issue, (including` in some cases its special number of that date,) the stations of origin and destination, and for the description and condition of the baggage. It also has a series of appropriately-designated spaces for the-check-marks of the agents and train baggagemen, together with a corresponding series of appropriately-designated spaces for indicating the condition of the baggagewhen received by the user of the particular check-mark. This way-bill also cornprises an appropriately-designated space for the insertion of the stamp of' the first trainbaggageman who receives the baggage, and it also contains a blank report with appropriately-designated spaces for the stationnumber, train-number, and time and the signature of the station agent. It also contains appropriately designated spaces for the stamps or signatures of' agents at transferpoints. This way-bill 6 also contains appropriately-designated spaces for the stamps of the train baggagemen. Preferably these spaces are upon the back of the way-bill. Likewise upon the back of the way-bill are printed instruction and matters of' information and spaces for remarks.

My system contemplates the use by each baggageman of a register of way-bills or receipt-book 7 of substantially the form shown in Fig. 4, containing appropriately-headed columns for memoranda to identify the waybills and for the signatures of the baggageman acknowledging receipt thereof.

In practice my system would be used as follows: The stationbaggageman fills out upon his stub the date of the way-bill, (and its spe-l cial number, if desired) the naine of the stations of origin and destination, and the description and condition of the baggage. He then fills in the names of the stations of origin and destination upon the owners check and the strap-check and then fills in upon the way-bill all of the matter inserted upon the agents stub except the name of the trainbaggageman. Then the strap-check is placed in the label-holder and affixed to the baggage, and the owners check is delivered to the owner. The way-bill is delivered, along with the baggage, to the train-baggageman, who signs the agents stub or his registerof way-bills. The first train-baggageman also affixes his stamp at the place designated therefor.

There is a separate way-bill for each piece of baggage, and the baggageinans work of checking up the baggage against the waybills consists merely in arranging his waybills in such ord-er as to best suit his own convenience-as, for instance, consecutively with reference to the common identification-numbers, or with reference to station-numbers, or alphabetically with reference to the names of stations-and then as he finds each piece of baggage entering on the corresponding waybill his check-mark and condition-mark in the spaces provided and designated therefor. The

only other clerical work required of a trainbaggageman is to enter on his register a memoradum sufficient to identify each waybill and to see that the agent who receives the way-bill signs therefor in the register.

When the first train-baggageman reaches the end of his run, he delivers the baggage, together with the way-bill` to the second trainbaggageman, who signs the first ones register and then checks up the baggage against the way-bills, as above noted-that is, for each piece he inserts his check-mark in the second of' the spaces provided therefor on its way-bill and enters its condition in the corresponding space provided for the purpose and afiixes his stampin the space designated therefor. In like manner the next succeeding train-baggageman to receive the baggage receipts for the way-bills on the register of' the preceding baggageman and enters his checkmark and annotation of condition and stamp on each way-bill. When the baggage arrives at the station of destination, the station agent or baggagernan signs the train-baggagemans way-bill register and also signs the receipt for the baggage provided therefor on the way-bill. In case the baggage is not received by the baggageman to whom the way-bill is delivered he enters the word `short in the space designated for condition.

It is noted that the way-bill is made out by the original station-baggageman and that this way-bill follows the baggage from the station of origin to the station of destination and that said way-bill contains a printed identiiication number which is likewise printedl upon all of the other sections of the form, so that the train-baggagemen are relieved entirely of the labor of making out way-bills.

Obviously the forms admit of considerable variation without departing from my invention. Thus the agents stub and the way-bill may contain a printed memorandum or an appropriately-designated space for a memorandum of the route or station by way of which the baggage is to be carried. So, too, in cases where it may be necessary to way-bill the baggage to a station different from its actual destination the form may provide therefor. So, too, it is desirable to provide upon the waybill appropriately-designated spaces for the stamp or signature of baggage agents at points of transfer, all as indicated in Fig. l.

In order to economize the time and labor of the station-baggageman, it is advantageous to IlO IIS

have the name of the station of origin or of destination. orof both, `printed on the forms. In the case of stations from which much baggage is sent it is preferable to have the name of said station printed onthe form; but in case of stations from which small amounts of baggage are sent it is preferable to supply the agents with forms on which the station of destination is printed, in which case the same forms may serve for various stations. When the station of origin and the station of destination have large quantities of baggage passing between them, it is preferable to have the names of both stations printed on the form.

In the case of excess baggage-that is, in cases where the station-baggageman is required to collect any charges-the form comprises an additional section or coupon 8, which may be designated as the b,"auditors stub.7 See Fig. 2.) In this case the auditors stub is a substantial duplicate of the owners check and of the strap-check, upon all of which are provided appropriatelyT designated spaces for memoranda of the charges.

The principal advantages of my form are as follows: Theidentification-number common to all of its sections eliminates one of the most prolific sources of error in the present system of way-billing. Again, the way-bill section of the form serves as a forwarding way-bill as between the station-baggageman and the trainbaggageman, as a train-baggage Way-bill as between said train-baggageman and the trainbaggeman to whom he delivers it, as a delivering way-bill as between the train-baggageman and the station agent to whom he delivers it, and asa receiving way-bill at the station of destination, and finally it constitutes a complete record of the transportation of the baggage, containing all of the matter which in the present system of way-billing is scattered through a large mass of papers. Again, as every person who receives a way-bill has to receipt therefor and is responsible for its preservation there is much less danger of losing it than in the present system. Again, the entire record of the transportation of each piece of baggage is complete on the way-bill therefor instead of being mixed up with the entries of all of the other baggage on the train. Again, the train-baggagemen are relieved of the work not only of making out way-bills, but also of making written reports to the general baggage agen t, as there is no occasion for such reports. Again, if the way-bill is lost the responsibilty therefor and the baggage itselil can be traced from register to register by the receipts signed therein.

The forms hereinbefore described admit of considerable modification without departing from my invention, and I do not wish to be restricted to the details of said forms.

Vhat I claim isl. A to rm comprising' sections. said sections comprising an agents stub. an owners check, a strap-check and a way-bill, each containing a common identiiication-number and matter appropriate to the particular section.

2. A form comprising sections, said sections comprising an agents stub, an auditors stub,

Van owners check, a strap-check and a waybill, each containing a common identificationnumber and matter appropriate to the particular section.

3. A form comprising sections, said sections comprising' an agents stub, an owners check, a strap-check and a way-bill, each containing a common identiiication-number and matter appropriate to the particular section, and said way-bill comprising appropmately-designated spaces for the baggagemens marks.

4. A form comprising sections, said sections comprising an agents stub, an auditors stub, an owners check, a strap-check and a waybill, each containing a common identificationnumber and matter appropriate to the particular section. and said way-bill comprising appropriately-designated spaces for the baggagemens marks.

5. A system of Way-billing baggage comprising a printed form having sections constituting an agents stub, an owners check, a

Astrap-check and a way-bill, all having a common identification-number and said way-bill having appropriately-designated spaces for baggagemens marks, and a register of waybills for each baggageman, said register comprising blank receipts and having appropriately-headed blank columns for matter descriptive of said way-bills and for the signatures of the persons to whom said way-bills are delivered.

6. A system of way-billing baggage comprising a printed form having sections consti- .tuting an agents stub, an owners check, a

strap-check and a way-bill, all having a common identication-number and said way-bill having appropriately-designated spaces for baggagemens marks. and a blank receipt, and a register of way-bills for each baggageman, said register comprising blank receipts and having appropriately-headed blank columns for matter descriptive of said way-bills and for the signatures of persons to whom said waybills are delivered.

CLARENCE B. JOHNSTON.

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